Hilling Star, the planet Hua Wei had chosen as a "starter village," was now undergoing a silent yet efficient transformation.
Its once-bare rocky surface had been covered by vast stretches of level alloy platforms.
Like enormous silver scales, these platforms formed the beginnings of a massive base.
At the heart of the base stood a strangely designed structure resembling a fusion of a giant biological brain and a mechanical hive—the Hive Mainframe Control.
This was the core facility Hua Wei had exchanged for nearly two million Emotion Points.
It was not a combat unit, but the base's "brain" and "heart."
Countless thick energy conduits and data fiber cables extended from the mainframe, connecting every corner of the base.
Under its coordination, thousands of engineering robots of varying forms worked like busy ants, carrying out construction in an orderly fashion.
Prefabricated components were rapidly assembled into sturdy hangars, warehouses, power stations, basic living modules, and even the beginnings of a small spaceport.
Though the entire base had yet to be fully completed, it had already taken shape, exuding an efficient, cold industrial beauty.
"Now it finally looks a little like an 'Imperium'..." Hua Wei sat in the control center's chair, watching the busy scene below through the surveillance feeds projected by the Hive Mainframe Control.
He had spent nearly two million, but watching his "territory" slowly rise from nothing was even more satisfying than pulling cards!
However, his gaze soon shifted to another section of the system interface: the captured unit, Hope.
"Hope... I didn't expect I could steal someone else's warship!" Hua Wei's eyes gleamed. "Since it's my ship now, I need to fill out the crew! A warship this big will serve as the mothership. It needs fighters and mechs too! It can't just be an empty shell!"
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